Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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One Opportunity Missed, One Opportunity Seized

And now for some “never thought we’d type that in our entire lives” news before we dive into today’s post. Remember when we Instagrammed this (well, I guess technically we Regrammed it) back in May? It was from our day of shooting a little segment with the OWN crew (as in Oprah’s crew). #ahhhhhh #more screaming

Well, that “short film” is airing this Sunday! It’ll be on towards the end of their Super Soul Sunday season premiere (info here) and we’re practically ready to faint at the possibility of Oprah saying our names out loud. Seriously, somebody get me a fan, a ruffled dress, and a chaise lounge so I can dramatically swoon.

Oprah Airing Graphic

But now back to the opportunities that we seized and missed. First the one that we missed (I’m a “tell me the bad news first” kinda girl). A few blocks away from us we noticed that a neighbor was mid-renovation (the sizable dumpster in their driveway was our first clue). One day we spotted a bunch of outdoor furniture peeking out over its top edge. Was that some chunky wicker Restoration-Hardware-ish stuff? And some iron chairs and a table? Why was it in the dumpster? It looked to be in good condition. Could this be our new sunroom furniture?

Our brains started fantasizing a trash-to-treasure rescue story. Maybe a little cleaning or rust-removing spray paint was all they needed? But then again, maybe they were in the trash pile for good reason. And would it be super awkward to knock on a stranger’s door and ask to raid their dumpster? Oh, but it would suck for salvageable stuff to go to waste…

Dumpster

We spent a couple of days trying to decide if our idea was genius or crazy. Would the neighbors think we were thoughtful or out of our minds? Finally I decided we should just satisfy our curiosity and ask. No sooner had I mustered the courage did John burst my bubble: “I meant to tell you, I noticed on the way back from preschool that the dumpster had been emptied.” $herdog = sad clown. I know it could have just been old broken furniture anyway, but now I’ll never know. I guess I’ll have to find another dumpster to dive into…

But in other “hey-what-are-the-neighbors-up-to?” news (here comes the good part) the family two doors down is in the midst of some major landscaping work involving all sorts of awesome things like an outdoor fireplace and a stone patio. We love them and Burger is even on decent terms with their dog which is a small animal miracle because Burger only likes cats. Anyway, we don’t have anything major that needs to be done (yet) but it did give us one of those “since you’re in the neighborhood” ideas. The tree work that we had done a few months back left us with some high spots, some low spots, and some grass-won’t-grow-on-that-pile-of-ground-tree-stump spots. Photos don’t do the ankle-breaking-potential justice. At their worst there were some areas that were about 15″ off (either too high or too low) so don’t let what look like small piles fool you. We’re talking about 30 wheelbarrows full o’ mulch in that mound on the right.

Mounds Before

We had been meaning to slowly-but-surely wheelbarrow out the piles ourselves, but we eventually came to the conclusion that this was a job for some heavier duty equipment. We considered renting some sort of mini earthmoving dozer (um, John would be in heaven) but even the smallest dozer rental was $425 a day from local rental places like this. So we thought it couldn’t hurt to ask the guys pushing dirt around just two doors down, right?

I strolled down there one afternoon, found someone who appeared to be in charge, and asked if they had an opening in their schedule to roll up the street and roll around on our yard a little. We figured it’d be easier (i.e. cheaper) than calling another company who would have to lug their equipment all the way over just for us, and hopefully they’d like the idea of earning some extra cash whenever they had a spare moment to stop by. They were very friendly and, more importantly, totally game. They said we’d have to get Miss Utility to mark our yard first (so they didn’t hit any pipes or wires in the process) so I dialed 8-1-1 and just a couple of days later the yard was marked and, fortunately, nothing was in the path of our piles.

Yard Marked

With our yard all flagged up, we checked back in with the landscaping crew and before we knew it we had front row seats. Clara was in awe of her own personal “digger show.”

Clara Watching

The crazy thing is that what we guessed would take a few hours, literally only took the guy about thirty minutes. He was a total PRO. And John was only a little jealous.

Dozing

He even scooped all of the too-acidic-to-allow-grass-to-grow-on-it mulch and rolled it into our wooded side yard before meticulously spreading it out for us in there. Can’t even tell it’s there, right?

Mulch Woods

After his 30 minute flattening spree he said “how about $60 for that?” and we were elated! Sure beats the time and money we would’ve spent renting something. Dude, our front yard is sooo much better. Okay, maybe it’s still kinda brown and weedy, but at least it’s flat. And flat means it’s ready for grass seed!

Flat After2

Speaking of grass seed, we may actually get a quote from the landscaping guys (the neighbor’s project still has a few weeks to go) to see how much they’d charge to drop off some top soil for us before we seed. It’s not a must-have, but a fresh layer of topsoil certainly wouldn’t hurt our first season of grass-growing. Plus, they mentioned we might be able to piggyback on a delivery they’re bringing to the other house. Is that efficiency I smell?

So there’s one moment missed and one moment grabbed and squeezed like a lemon in my sweet tea. Sidenote: How much do the end of our railings look like hamburgers? I’m tempted to paint them like this. You know, in honor of Burger.

Hamburger

What have you guys been noticing around the neighborhood? Now that it’s getting cooler and kids are back in school it seems like a lot of people are getting house stuff done – which of course we LOVE to watch. There have been some pretty amazing new fences going up and a whole lot of house-painting. Tis the season!

Comments

  1. Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says

    I’d have to say if they were throwing it in the dumpster there was definitely something wrong with it. So I don’t think you missed out. (I hope that made you feel better!)

    SCORE on getting the dude to spread your mulch in record time and uber cheap. I cracked up at the Burger finials. I dare you. ;)

    Reply

    • Wendy @ New Moms Talk says

      Things put in or by the dumpster don’t always have something wrong with them.

      I found a perfectly good and very solid antique dresser by a dumpster once. As I was putting it in the car, a lady approached me and asked me if I was taking it. She then told me it had been in her family for years, and they just didn’t have room to put it in the moving truck (which was 50 feet away).

      She had hoped someone would find it and take it, and when I told her it was my first not-from-my-folks dresser, she was thrilled.

      A friend refinished it for me, as I was working on other pieces.

    • Reenie says

      I agree with Wendy…. not all things that are set out for the trash ~ has something wrong with it. I curb-shopped 2 chairs that are on my deck now that were in perfect condition. I even tried them out before putting them in my lil bug. HA!! I put new cushions on them and they look great. They are also my fav chairs and the most comfortable, they even swivel.

      Curb-trash-shopper and proud of it!! :)

    • krys72599 says

      Oh, no, please don’t EVER assume there’s something wrong with every/anything in a dumpster! We’ve gotten so much great stuff dumpster-diving that I’ve even stopped being embarrassed when my husband climbs up on the side of the dumpster to peek in!
      We got an air compressor (brand new, just missing a hose, which my pack rack, dumpster-diving husband has extras of in the house!), full boxes of brand new floorboards (part of that 10-20% overage the contractors always order, I guess!), wooden stools that only need tightening (I painted one lime green and one bright yellow, and the smaller unmatching one I painted Xmas red and it comes out at the holidays only), bicycles that just needed air in their tires, snowblowers my husband repaired and sold for $250 – EACH!!! And so much more I couldn’t begin to list it all here!

    • Plein Jane says

      So, is Oprah going to yell, “It’s John and Sherry PETER-siiiiiiiiiiiiiick!” If she does, you’ll have to find a way to make it your voice-mail message.

      Also, Sherry, is that your book tour blazer you wore on the show? We may have to stage an intervention.

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh my gosh, if she yelled it I’d pass out. I don’t think I’m equipped to hear her whisper our names actually. Ahhh! And you’ll be relieved to hear that’s a black cardigan. That poor tour blazer has seen too much action to get pulled out of the closet anymore. I think he’s retired!

      xo
      s

  3. Valerie says

    I know your pain on items lost. I live in Somerville MA and this time of year everyone has furniture on the side of the road the night before trash day (you don’t have to haul it to the dump here) and Sunday night I saw an old rocking horse that would have been beautiful painted in Kelly green for my prego friend as a nursery gift… well there was traffic and I was heading grocery shopping and figured I’d pick it up on my way home. It was already gone. Cue sad face.

    Congrats on Oprah!

    Reply

  4. Wendy @ New Moms Talk says

    A few of the houses in the neighborhood to where we’re moving have buoys on them, as it’s quite close (maybe 2 miles) to the shore.

    I’m not the biggest fan of the “we live by the beach” fence, but am considering an anchor somewhere in the house (or as part of a garden). It seems fitting since my Dad and my hub’s Dad were both career Navy men, and my parents wedding pictures are all in front of an anchor at the Navy chapel.

    Reply

  5. Sarah says

    I think we all love checking out what others are doing for curiousity / inspiration / nosiness etc. That is kind of what it’s like following your blog – as if you are the neighbour down the street (instead of in a different country!) and I get to check out your yard and house regularly! lol. Great job on seizing the opportunity of nearby equipment, now what to spend that savings on… :-)

    Reply

  6. lizaanne says

    Holycows!!! Has Clara had a growth spurt, or is that the camera angle?!! She suddenly looks tall and not so little girlish!

    I can’t even say how many times I’ve had that curbside or dumpster regret. Yesterday the neighbor down the street had a mid-century dresser at the curb, but my husband gives the ol’ stink eye, so I passed it by. UUUGGGHHH – killed me to do that!!! :-(

    Oh well – there will always be dumpsters to dive! LOL

    Reply

  7. Rebecca says

    In the small town that I live in, we have 2 annual “heavy trash” days. It’s where we can put anything and everything out on the curb to be hauled away (furniture, appliances, etc.). Then, the day before, when people are putting out all their “heavy trash,” other people will drive around in their pickups and find their “treasures.” So, when I read you post, I just had to laugh, because it’s no big deal to raid our neighbors trash where we live. Too bad you might have missed your “treasure” this time. On a side note, I absolutely love you blog. I’ve only been reading it for less than a year, but am totally hooked. I look forward everyday to see what you’re blogging about. Keep it up…I think you guys are amazing!!

    Reply

  9. bethindc says

    Such a good idea to ask a crew in the neighborhood for help. I’ve always wondered how the homeowner who’s getting a job done feels about workers being diverted. did you worry about that? Should we go sort of get permission, do you think?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, we’re good friends with our neighbors so we made it clear to their crew that we didn’t want to rob them away in the middle of their job. So we said if they had a free lunch moment or after their day was over there if they wanted to earn some extra cash by rolling over to us before leaving, we’d be happy to have them! They’re getting paid mucho bucks for that big job over there, so I don’t think they’d ever risk frustrating their original clients for a small little side job like ours!

      xo
      s

    • Meg says

      Just curious – will you give your neighbor some cash to cover part of the delivery fee your seed/dirt will be on?? It just seems like the right thing to do if you’re in fact “piggy backing” off someone else’s fee. But I mean you probably already talked with your neighbor about all that!

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, we’ll be going in on it together, so we’d both get a reduced rate! She’d be ordering a ton more so she’d save more, and we’ll save a little since we only need some for the front.

      xo
      s

  10. Andy says

    I bet y’all moving in and re-roofing, repairing siding, repainting the exterior, & refinishing the deck has had a major influence on the neighbors.
    I imagine lots of talk over dinner about the updates & improvements you’ve done. ‘What can we do? I’m tired of this patio/kitchen/flooring/wall color.’

    Reply

  11. Kimberly @ Turning It Home says

    I can totally relate to your missed opportunity; there is a house for sale that I have been stalking (only slightly, it’s on my way to the grocery store). Well, recently I noticed a big sheet of pegboard leaning against their dumpster, and I have been in the market for pegboard! So, I thought of just pulling up to their driveway to pick it up or ask them but before I knew it, it was gone! Bummer! Thankfully, my husband found this (http://www.turningithome.com/2013/09/our-new-broken-chair.html) on the side of the road a bit later to lift my trash-rescue spirits.

    Reply

  12. Alyson says

    For a hot second, without reading, I thought you had painted that railing in that color scheme…not going to lie, I feared you’d made a grave mistake. Then I got smart and realized it looked like a burger…doh!

    Reply

  13. Amy says

    Heavy equipment is amazing isn’t it? We have a largish farm in the oil patch in Alberta and one of the companies uses some of our land to store big equipment (we can use the equipment, both my hubby and father in law are operators by trade). We already have 2 tractors and a bobcat but having that BIG backhoe made driving new fence posts in so easy. Your yard looks great and I think the railing tops should definitely be burger-ized!

    Reply

  14. Laura @ Rather Square says

    I posted about this very thing (trash to treasure) on our blog last week. We have been able to score some amazing freebie furniture from our back alley! I think it’s a right-place-right-time luck kind of thing.

    For you, maybe the dumpster “treasures” were just not meant to be yours. It’s hard to know and sometimes you have to grab things fast before they’re gone.

    Reply

    • krys72599 says

      Laura, I think you’re right.
      I’m a big believer in fate – if it’s meant to be, it will be!
      PLUS, timing is everything!
      (Obviously I’m a big believer in cliches, too!)

  15. catherine says

    We were trying to figure out how to remove 9 footers from the deck we tore down when our neighbors had a concrete driveway put in. A bit of cash and 30 minutes later it was done. I had the idea and executed it when my husband was gone. It was sooo exciting to share that surprise :-)

    I bet that furniture was a mess. We curbcycled a wicker set and bit by bit we threw it away as we realized why the original owners tossed it!

    Reply

  16. Katie says

    For a second I thought that was what your banisters actually looked like and I was kind of taken aback. You could do a much better job than the Photoshop rendering by hand. Imagine little sesame seeds…
    It would be hilariously whimsical.

    Reply

  17. Sheri says

    Your kind of freaking me out with this. Seems like every week you are doing the same projects we are to our two story red brick house…LOL.

    Seriously we just had three truck loads of dirt delivered (For FREE by the city) and smoothed with a bull dozer (got great deal too!!!). We also just laid 5 pallets of sod. Got lucky and and scored free delivery because they were in the area.

    Reply

  18. betty (the sweaty betty) says

    when we moved in last year, we did a lot of work including ripping out grunge-y carpet, put up a fence, and other little things. people were in and out of our house for a good 2-3 weeks. our neighbors would s-l-o-w-l-y drive by to try and figure out what we were doing over here.

    Reply

  19. Ginny @ Goofy Monkeys says

    I’ve missed curbside items… In our neighborhood a lot of people put out furniture on trash day and on several occasions I have wanted to stop and throw a chair or stool into the car but I have passed it by only to regret it later. Maybe I’ll just do it next time!

    As for fall projects – we’re making huge progress on our kitchen!

    A question – when do you start putting out fall/Halloween stuff??

    Reply

  20. Ashley says

    I noticed in the pic above, do all the houses on your street look alike? Wonder if they have similar floor plans!?! That would be neat!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      There’s a nice mix! There are plenty that are similar-ish to ours (although many have dormer windows on the room above the garage since theirs have all been finished, and ours is the only one that’s still in need of drywall and flooring) but there are also cute cottages and gorgeous tudors and even some dutch colonials. I love the variety! Some people on our street have the most gorgeous window boxes and pretty ivy growing around their porches. I love that look so much!

      xo
      s

  21. Richelle says

    Excellent idea to piggyback! I was thinking about doing the same thing with our new nextdoor neighbors when we have a tree taken out (too close to the house and too big now to move. boo.), since they have one in a similar position. Why not conserve resources and save some cash money, right?

    Reply

  22. Jo says

    Omg, I thought you’d totally lost your mind and decided to paint the tops of your railings that colour! So glad I just freaked out for no reason after all.

    Will you be putting a link to the Oprah thingy after its aired? I don’t think we get that live here Down Under.

    Reply

  27. Diane says

    Can’t stand Oprah, but will DVR the program just to watch you guys. Does Burger make an appearance?

    The things I do for love!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We have no idea what the footage will include (they filmed for a whole day but the video will just be a few minutes long)! I would imagine there will be some Clara cuteness and at least one amazing Burger cameo! He’s definitely in our behind the scenes photos, which we’ll be sharing after it airs and we finally get the see what the heck they filmed! Ahh!

      xo
      s

  28. Karen Little says

    One thing we learned when we lived in the Richmond area is the importance of topsoil when trying to grow grass. Good idea to do it! You’ll never regret it as it’ll give those little seeds more of a chance of life. :) This whole area of the beautiful state of Virginia just needs that extra boost. Can’t wait to see you on TV! EEEK (for you) !!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I worried about that too Allison! It rained on and off while we were getting our house painted but the guys were awesome about waiting to be sure things were dry before going back in the finish stuff.

      xo
      s

  32. Karen says

    My good friend’s next door neighbor remodels their home, inside and out, every few years and, in the process, gets a dumpster and just tosses whatever they don’t like anymore. Patio furniture, bikes, indoor furniture, etc. They just don’t want to bother with finding a home for what they consider “trash” so they just toss it.
    Not everything that gets tossed in the dumptser or trash is broken. Sometimes people just don’t want to take the time to find someone who may be able to use it. “Dumpster Divers” be on the lookout.

    Reply

  33. Cait Edwards says

    I hate that you missed out on that furniture! It can definitely feel a little weird to go rooting around someone’s dumpster, but you never know what you’ll find. I recently pulled a Poang chair (nearly new) off the top of a dumpster in our neighborhood (first time dumpster-diver right here). Took it home, disinfected it and now it’s the perfect reading spot in our living room.

    http://champaigntoast.com/2013/09/13/dumpster-dive-poang-makeover/

    Reply

  35. Elaine says

    My boyfriend lives in a crazy awesome building here and the building’s trash area is probably my new favorite “store.” So far from there we have collected 2 chairs for the balcony, a table for the balcony, a 46″ TV, a bike, and a cute little end table. And we didn’t even have to get in the dumpster! People are so nice to leave stuff in the trash area, and not in the actual trash bins!

    The one thing we missed that I’m still kicking myself over was the railing from a crib someone threw out. It would have been great on the balcony for a vine to climb but alas. I guess the other stuff makes up for it!

    Reply

  37. tia mia says

    …”and now it’s time for grass seed.” Your flat semicircular planting area is calling out for some creative planting ideas (other than grass.) A bed of flowers…interchangeable throughout the year ~ or even some wheatgrass, mixed in with some colorful nandinas, etc. Make your yard a garden…not just a flat plain of grass to mow. :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, we’re planning a bunch of planting beds as well – although we think we’ll mulch those where the trees are on the sides of the front yard and the middle can be a nice patch of grass for Clara and Burger to run around in. Will have to share little sketches of our plan!

      xo
      s

  38. Tom M says

    In life, I think it’s better to dig through the dumpster of people you either know really well or will never ever see again.

    Reply

  39. Michelle F says

    Unfortunately the only thing i’m noticing around my neighborhood/front yard are the lovely little presents our new neighbors puppy is leaving for us to step in. Womp Woooomp! I’m thinking I may need to DIY some cute “no poop” signs. Haha!

    Reply

  40. Barbara H. says

    I understand the dumpster reluctance. I say next time go right up to the door and ask. That way you’ll find out if there’s a major problem and you’ll be offering the homeowners a chance to make more room in their dumpster for other things that need to go if the furniture or whatever is still usable. Great job on getting the yard in better shape.

    Reply

  41. JoannaBanana says

    We FINALLY met the neighbors! Two years later! We live in a highly rented area and people kind of keep to themselves since the rentals seem to change hands every year. However, we finally met neighbors in one of the owner occupied homes. Super nice…still working on finishing painting our downstairs so we can have a party. ha.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s so funny! We had some neighbors in our last two houses that we never met either (not right next to us but a few houses down in both cases). Some folks are shy! So glad yours are super nice!

      xo
      s

  42. Karly says

    We updated the outside of our house a year ago (new siding, windows, 3 decks and a tin roof….all DIY!) and our next door neighbour did theirs as well. The bay we live on is full of older houses from the 80s, but this summer we are seeing more and more people updating theirs! It’s so nice to see our street get a facelift and like you, I love creeping on the design choices people make! P.S. Congrats on the OWN piece!

    Reply

  43. Marcy says

    This seems related, lol: we are pooling resources in our neighborhood to get some major potholes fixed! I’m excited because two of them are a pain in my side every time I drive. (Our street somehow belongs to the houses but no one owns the land – in any case the county doesn’t own it so we have to do our own maintenance & repairs).

    I’m sure you didn’t miss anything on the dumpster furniture, but it makes me think of Nicole Curtis raiding dumpsters for her Dollar House. Do you watch Rehab Addict?

    Reply

    • Paula says

      My favorite was when some dumped stuff in her dumpster overnight, and she took it out and used it — she went dumpster diving in her own dumpster, awesome.

    • Jamie D says

      Oh Rehab Addict is AWESOME. Nicole is so sassy and not afraid to speak her mind. Anyone who says things like “this floor is so crappy” is a win in my book! Ditto on dumpster diving in her own dumpster!

  45. Krissy says

    There were old-style window sashes on the side of the road the other day, and I keep seeing an idea on pinterest where people write the seating chart for their wedding on the window panes. I was so excited to grab them on my way home, because I was in a rush getting to work… but they were gone by the time I came home. Sad times.

    Reply

  46. Susan says

    Yea for Oprah! We DVR that already, so we’re good to go.

    I like sod over grass seed-it’s very cost effective when you factor in your time, IMO. We only paid 22 cents a square foot, and it’s an almost instant upgrade.

    We had to do our entire front and back yards from scratch
    ( no one lived here for two years, and it was never great to begin with).

    We rented a DINGO ( like a HUGE rototiller) for about a hundred bucks a day, scraped everything down to the dirt, graded, put in hardscaping, planted and laid sod. We did the backyard one year, the front the next. Now we get to enjoy it!

    http://sharingourpath.blogspot.com/2012/06/before-and-after.html

    Reply

  47. Jen | Jen Darling says

    We totally did this!! When we were clearing out our backyard we needed to get rid of a MASSIVE pile of branches and other debris. There was a lawn team on the next road over and they charged us $150 to come and chip up anything we had in our driveway. http://www.jkhnelson.com/2013/06/17/yard-crash-72-hours/

    Saved us doing it and lugging it all out to the curb! A bunch of our neighbors all had their driveways resurfaced at the same time, you definitely get a deal if you get your whole block to go in on it!

    Reply

  48. Heather says

    One morning a couple months ago I was out on a morning run with my sons. It was trash day, and I happened to stumble across a toy barn/stable at the end of someone’s driveway. Since there was no way I could carry that barn a mile home while pushing my double jogger and walking my dog, I had to leave it behind and hope I could get back to it before the garbage men. I don’t think I’ve ever run so fast home. I got my boys in the car as fast as possible and we raced the garbage truck down the street to get to the barn first. Total victory! I got this (http://www.amazon.com/Maxim-MX81010-Groton-Large-Stable/dp/B00078ANHU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1379429892&sr=8-4&keywords=groton+toy+barn) for free! All it needed was some TLC in the cleaning department. I even decided to paint it.

    Reply

  49. Jennifer R. says

    Our neighbor just told us yesterday that she is have two pine trees removed that are between our properties (on her side, but right on the line) because the roots are ruining her drive way. We have a big black walnut that needs to be removed so I am wondering if we could get a reduced rate if they are already over this way. I need to get the name of the place, but then I feel bad if I take advantage of her crew and she doesn’t reap the savings… you know what I mean? Ugh.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I would talk to her! Tell her you’re going to get an estimate since they’re in the neighborhood and try to see if the guys will kick some money back her way as a referral fee since you’re using them on her recommendation!

      xo
      s

  50. eilene says

    Last weekend I did a huge basement cleanup. I put so many funiture items out on the curb hoping someone like you would come by to show my items some love. It’s the only way I could get rid of them. Then I looked out the window and a grumpy guy was picking everything up and carelessly throwing all of it in the back of his pick-up. I didn’t see get that crafty light in his eyes. No love. I was so bummed out.

    The end

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw man! I hope he was doing his daughter’s dirty work or something and she’s full of crafty light in her eyes but didn’t have a truck so she begged him to grab it for her.

      xo
      s

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